Townley Grammar School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Information

Located in the London borough of Bexley, Townley Grammar School is a girls-only grammar for pupils aged 11-18, although its Sixth Form is co-educational. An academy school, Townley specialises in performing and visual arts, maths and computing.

The school offers a broad curriculum and an impressive array of extracurricular activities, including three choirs, two orchestras, a concert band and various musical productions.

For an insight into academic life at Townley Grammar School, watch this promotional video:

Townley Grammar School 11 Plus Admissions

Townley Grammar School is part of the Bexley Coordinated Secondary School Admissions Scheme and only students who pass the Bexley test can be considered for admission in Year 7.

The Bexley test aims to select the top academic students for entrance to the school with pass marks set by a selection panel of the school’s headteacher and assigned officers. However, it should be noted that passing the Bexley 11 Plus isn’t a guarantee of a Year 7 place at Townley Grammar School.

In cases where there are more eligible candidates than Year 7 places, the school uses the following oversubscription criteria, giving priority to:

Looked after, or previously looked after, children

Girls identified by the London Borough of Bexley as achieving one of the highest 180 scores in the selection tests and who apply for a place at Townley Grammar School

Girls who have a sibling attending the school at the time of application

Students with a parent or registered guardian employed at Townley Grammar School on a permanent basis at the time of application

Up to 14 places for girls attracting Pupil Premium and/or Free School Meals who achieve the qualifying score in rank order of distance from the school

Distance from school with priority given to pupils living nearest to the school

More information about the school’s oversubscription and admissions policies can be found here.

How to Apply for 11 Plus Entry to Townley Grammar School

To apply for Year 7 entry to Townley Grammar School, parents need to complete an online application form via their Local Authority (LA).

Parents are advised to contact the LA directly, rather than the school, with any specific admission questions.

Townley Grammar School 11 Plus Exam Format

The Townley Grammar School eleven plus exam consists of two test papers that each last around 50 minutes. The two tests cover the following subjects:

Each test contains a mixture of standard format and multiple-choice questions, divided into timed sections.

How to Prepare for the Townley Grammar School 11 Plus Exam?

The key to preparing for the 11 Plus exam is organisation. The more time children have to study for the entrance tests, the better chance they’ll have of performing well. Parents should can support their child’s revision by creating a study timetable that maps out what days they will study and what topics they will cover.

In addition to working from a structured plan, we recommend using practice exam papers early in your child’s revision. Not only do practice tests help identify your child’s strengths and weaknesses, but they help familiarise students with the layout of the exam and the types of questions they may be asked on test day.

As the exam draws closer, we’d recommend that your child takes our practice exam papers under exam conditions so that they get used to answering questions quickly and under pressure.

We specifically recommend the following resources for the Townley Grammar School 11+ exam:

Practice Exam Papers for the Townley Grammar School 11 Plus Exam

The resources below will prove useful for children currently preparing for the Townley Grammar School eleven plus exam:

This pack contains 10 tests, each consisting of 5 sections, with 5 questions in each section. It focuses on a specific type of question that comes up in CEM exams. These questions are based on some form of chart or diagram that the student must use to work out the answers. The answers must be recorded on a separate sheet in a specific manner. This pack includes separate answer sheets so students can get used to recording their responses in this way, just like they will need to do in the 11+ Townley exam.

This pack contains 20 tests, each with 10 questions. It focuses on a different CEM question type in which there are multiple possible answer choices provided and the student must pick the correct one for each question. Separate answer sheets are provided so students can get used to recording their responses in this manner.

This pack contains 15 tests, each with 15 questions. It focuses on fundamental arithmetic skills, developing a strong basis that allows students to work through maths questions efficiently and with confidence.

Verbal Reasoning Section

Verbal Reasoning, as defined by CEM, is quite different to how it may be traditionally understood. It includes a number of question types that focus on vocabulary and comprehension as well as some more unusual formats. Each of the packs below focuses on a different skill that is assessed in the Verbal Reasoning section of CEM 11+ Townley exam.

This pack contains plenty of practice for various question types that crop up frequently in CEM exams. These include questions that assess a student’s grasp of synonyms and antonyms as well as other formats such as shuffled sentences and contextual cloze.

These packs contains plenty of vocabulary practice, specifically designed to match the style used in CEM exams in the ‘Word Choice’ section. There are 24 practice tests in each pack, each with 29 questions. We recommend beginning with Pack 1. Pack 2 is designed to be more challenging.

This pack focuses on a specific CEM Verbal Reasoning question type that comes up frequently. It’s relatively unusual and, in our experience, students can find it difficult to get to grips with. There are 20 tests included, all designed to match the exact format and style used in the actual exam. Answer sheets and answers are included.

This pack focuses on another common CEM Verbal Reasoning question type. It doesn’t feature in that many 11+ resources so your child may not be too familiar with the format. It assesses the depth of a student’s vocabulary, as well as their understanding of phrases and idioms. There are 24 timed tests included, all designed to match the exact format and style used in the actual exam. Answer sheets and answers are included.

This pack focuses on a CEM question type that targets a student’s knowledge and understanding of adjectives. To do well in this question type, students need to have a broad vocabulary as well as a solid understanding of common phrases and idioms. Furthermore, when there are two or more seemingly possible answers, they need to be able to discern which is the ‘best’, given the context. There are 24 timed tests included, all designed to match the exact format and style used in the actual exam. Answer sheets and answers are included.

This pack focuses on a CEM question type that tests the depth of a student’s vocabulary. These questions can be quite tricky. For example, the superfluous definitions are designed to pose challenges, perhaps defining a homophone of one of the target words. To do well in this question type, students must be confident in their choice of words and their meanings. There are 24 timed tests included, all designed to match the exact format and style used in the actual exam. Answer sheets and answers are included.

These packs focus on multiple-choice comprehension, which will feature in the CEM 11+ Townley exam. There are 15 comprehension tests included in each pack. Pack 1 focuses on classical fiction and Pack 2 focuses on non-fiction.

CEM 11+ exams, such as the 11 plus Townley test, focus heavily on assessing a child’s vocabulary. These packs each introduce 200 words within context, helping students to improve both their vocabulary and spelling. This will prove useful for the Verbal Reasoning section of the exam. Pack 2 is designed to be more challenging than Pack 1.

Non-Verbal Reasoning Section

This pack covers a number of the question types that are used in CEM 11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning exams such as Matrices, Box Sequences and Exceptions. There are some extension question types as well. Whilst these are not known to be utilised in CEM exams, they will help develop your child’s Non-Verbal reasoning ability, which will stand them in good stead for the exam.

Full Practice Tests

These packs each contain two test papers covering all three topics: Verbal, Non-Verbal and Numerical Reasoning. Using the official familiarisation material and our deep knowledge of CEM question styles and formats, we’ve created accurate and up to date CEM practice papers that pay attention to all elements including question types, timings, structure, format, question wordings, fonts and design. Answers and Answer Sheets are included so your child can get used to marking their answers as they will need to do in the actual exam.

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The information provided about Townley Grammar School was believed to be correct at the time of publishing. However, please be aware of future changes. We advise you to contact the school directly if you are unsure of anything. School contact details are provided within the post.